1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to the field of baked goods, for example, bagels or rolls and more particularly, to an apparatus and method suitable to scoop excess dough from a previously cut half portion of the baked goods.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art:
At the present time, baked goods in generally round or annular configuration, such as bagels, are becoming increasingly popular for use as snacks, breakfast foods, sandwich components and the like. The presently available bagels are currently being baked in several different varieties by changing either or both the flour employed in the baked product and/or the spices, seeds or other comestibles which may be applied to the surface of the shaped bagel dough immediately prior to baking. Whatever type of flour or surface materials that may be employed, all of the bagels traditionally are similarly commonly configured to substantially that of an annulus or doughnut-shape.
In preparing a bagel for consumption, it is generally the usual practice to slice the bagel into two similar halve sections and then to apply some type of covering or food product either over the halves individually or between the previously cut halves. It is well known that the baked bagels are relatively high in calorie content and accordingly, many consumers prefer to scoop out or remove an interior portion of the previously cut bagel halves prior to consumption. In addition to significantly reducing the calorie count, the scooped out area provides a convenient, circular receptacle within which soft materials such as butter, cream cheese, meat products, cheese products and the like, can be spread. The variety of products which can be applied to sliced bagels can only be limited by the palate and the imagination of the user.
The current procedure for scooping and removing interior dough from previously cut bagel halves is for the preparer to simply pinch out the unwanted dough using his fingers. This procedure could not only be unsanitary, but also is time consuming and most inconvenient, especially when such a scooping procedure must be carried out in a busy restaurant or similar establishment where there may be numerous and substantially simultaneous requests for scooped out bagels. So far as is known to the present applicant, there is no suitable mechanical device that has hereinbefore been developed as an aid to removing interior portions of dough from a previously cut bagel, roll or other similar baked product.